Protesters on Rustaveli welcomed British sanctions against pro-government TV channels.
For the 456th consecutive day, supporters of Georgia's European integration gathered for a protest outside parliament. Activists expressed hope that sanctions against pro-government Georgian media would continue.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on February 25, the 455th day of continuous protests, supporters of Georgia's European integration held a march to commemorate the 105th anniversary of the Soviet occupation. Security forces prohibited them from completely occupying the road, citing a lack of permission.
Protesters holding national flags, EU flags, and posters of various content are holding a rally on the pedestrian section of Rustaveli Avenue near parliament. Some activists also brought British flags. Today marks the 456th day of continuous protests, Publika reports.
Protesters are holding signs reading, "Russophiles, your 'sun' is drowning in the Russian swamp," "Occupation is not protested from afar, we protest against it directly," "Knowledge is power, stop the reform," and "The next sanctions are Rustavi 2," according to posts by photographer Mo Se and Georgian media outlets on Facebook*.
The author of the poster for the Rustavi 2 TV channel depicted its logo, but changed the name to RusTV2.
On February 24, the UK government announced sanctions against the pro-government Georgian television channels Imedi and PosTV, designating these channels as disseminators of Russian disinformation.
Temur Gorgadze, leader of the Batumi organization "Girchi - More Freedom," today noted that the pro-government Imedi TV channel, which was subject to UK sanctions, now uses a Russian provider.
“The website imedi.ge has migrated to a new server called ns1.ddos-guard.net. The server belongs to DDoS-Guard. This is a Russian company, founded in Russia (in the city of Rostov-on-Don). This means that website security and traffic filtering are provided by this Russian provider,” Gorgadze wrote on social media.
After the UK imposed sanctions, two Imedi websites were taken offline, but the television company restored their service today. Imedi confirmed that the sanctions were the cause of the website problems, according to Tbilisi Life.
Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces have violently dispersed the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and have detained protesters. Over 1,000 people were subjected to administrative prosecution during the protests. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report titled "The Main Thing About the Persecution of Protest Participants in Georgia".